


Secret Santa

by LucreziaJames



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-02-14 07:19:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13002681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucreziaJames/pseuds/LucreziaJames
Summary: When Hermione starts receiving odd little gifts with codes to decode, she has to figure out who her Secret Santa is and what he has in store for her in the New Year.





	Secret Santa

**Author's Note:**

> This story was submitted for the Strictly Dramione Secret Santa Fic Exchange 2017.  
> Prompt #22:  
> Hermione's been receiving anonymous gifts addressed from Secret Santa. All of which hint at something to come in the next year, each hint more cryptic than the last. But when the final reveal goes awry, can Draco make amends by buying her a drink and kissing her under the mistletoe?
> 
> With thanks to my brilliant beta and dedicated to my wonderful prompter

Not for the first time that morning, Hermione gave a growl of frustration as she broke yet another quill.

“What’s the matter, love?” Draco asked, looking up from his desk across their shared office in the small section of the MLE that was reserved for code breaking.  With many former Death Eaters and their sympathisers still at large, Kingsley had ordered the sub department to be created and set about handpicking agents for the division to crack the encoded messages they had been intercepting since the war ended eighteen months ago.  Naturally Draco and Hermione had been forced to work together, having the highest entry scores, and after a tense six months working in close quarters they had confronted their feelings for one another and began dating.  

“Nothing,” Hermione sing-songed her reply, flashing him a smile before returning her gaze to the conundrum of code in front of her.  “It surely cannot be this hard,” she muttered under her breath as she glared at the simple bouquet of flowers she had received that morning as part of a Secret Santa.  “And who sends flowers for a Secret Santa anyway?” she wondered aloud.

“And old romantic?” Draco suggested with a chuckle.

“Oh you would find this funny,” Hermione snapped with a huff, before shoving her quill roughly into her desk tidy and gathering her things.

“Where are you going?” Draco chuckled, sitting back in his chair.

“Home.  I’ve finished my assignments for today,” she snapped as Draco laughed at her theatrics.

 

As Hermione slammed the door, Draco scooted from his desk and grabbed up the flowers.  Carefully, he rummaged around the bouquet.  “That’s odd,” he remarked.  “The card is missing.  Ha! No wonder she hasn’t cracked the code,” he chuckled amusedly.  “Oh I am going to have some fun with this one,” he murmured as the door swung open once, revealing Hermione stood with her hands on her hips.  She raised one eyebrow, questioningly at Draco who thrust the flowers towards her.  “You forgot your flowers,” he smirked.  With a loud growl Hermione snatched them up and turned on her heel, leaving Draco guffawing in her wake.

 

******

 

“Looks like someone delivered you a package while we were in the morning briefing,” Draco commented as the entered their office the following morning.

“But Secret Santa was yesterday,” Hermione commented confused as she seated herself at her desk and took up the carefully wrapped package with its bright green bow.  

“Oh not another code,” Hermione muttered as she fingered the tag.

“So what’s inside this one, I wonder,” Draco commented as he opened his briefcase and pulled out his files.

Hermione frowned.  “I have no idea.”

Draco chuckled.  “Well, you could try opening it,” he suggested with a raise of an eyebrow.  “Come on, Hermione, I thought you were smarter than that.”

Sighing as she rolled her eyes, Hermione began to unwrap the little gift box.

“Oh,” she murmured confused, as she pulled out a pair of napkin holders with G M engraved on them.  “What an odd little gift,” she remarked.

Draco came to her side and inspected the silver rings.  “Interesting,” he commented.  “Any ideas?”

Hermione shook her head.  “I don’t know anyone with the initials G.M.”

Draco suppressed a grin as he pressed his lips together.  “No clue in the code then, Granger?”

Hermione picked up the tag and frowned for a moment at the arithmancy symbols.  “Well that isn’t as hard as yesterday’s code.  “It says two into one.  But I still don’t understand how they are linked,” she murmured as Draco returned to his desk.  

“Well whoever he is I am sure he will be thrilled to know he outsmarted the ‘Brightest Witch of Our Age’, he laughed as Hermione stared off into space, confused.

 

*****

 

Every morning that week was the same, with a small strange gift waiting on her desk as they arrived.  And with every passing day, Draco delighted in teasing Hermione for not figuring out yet who her Secret Santa was, or the reason for the strange gifts that had nothing to do with Christmas at all.   On the Friday, the last day of work before the Christmas Break, Hermione was shocked to find a little cupcake on her desk tied with a silver ribbon, the familiar tag scrawled with an arithmancy code attached.

“Why on earth would someone send me a cupcake?” she murmured as she sat down at her desk.

“Maybe this guy thinks you need fattening up,” Draco chuckled before catching the death glare Hermione threw at him.

“Just what are you saying?” Hermione asked, folding her arms.

“Oh Hermione it was a joke,” Draco sighed.

“And it wasn’t a very good one, was it?” she retorted with a huff before rising from her seat to gather her things.

Draco frowned at her.  “Where are you going now?” he asked as she headed for the door.  “Home,” Hermione retorted, her eyes flashing with anger.

“But it’s only 9:30!”

“Yes, well, I can work better on my own anyway,” she replied, storming from the office.

Draco stared after her for a moment before the door swung open and Hermione stormed back in, snatching up the cupcake, refusing to meet his amused stare, before slamming the door once more.

 

*****

That evening Hermione stood staring at her reflection in the mirror, refusing to give any more thought to what Draco could have meant that morning about the cupcake, as she smoothed her dress.  Giving herself a nod of satisfaction, she turned on her heel and crossed the lounge to her fireplace, flooing to the Ministry.  As was tradition, the Ministry was holding a Yule Ball for its employees and their partners.  She had planned on attending with Draco, however given their spat that morning, she arrived alone.

 

Knowing Hermione would still be fuming quietly, Draco had arrived also arrived alone and stood at the bar, watching the floos carefully for Hermione to appear.  Catching a sight of her, he ordered her a glass of Champagne and decided that enough was enough, it was time to come clean.  With a glint in his eye, he leaned forward and whispered to the barman as he reached into his jacket pocket.

 

Hermione brushed a loose curl behind her ear as she glanced around the room for a familiar face.  Spotting Ginny, she waved and was just about to cross to her when she felt a hand on her elbow.  Turning, she saw Draco giving her a sheepish look.

“I got you a drink,” he smiled, handing her a glass of Champagne.  “I’m sorry about this morning.”

Hermione accepted the drink and his apology with a small kiss.

“Have you worked out who your Secret Santa is yet?” Draco asked, as Hermione sipped her drink.

“No,” she murmured, flushing.  “Honestly, I thought I was more astute than this,” she replied, somewhat embarrassed.

“There may be one more clue,” Draco told her, his eyes twinkling as Hermione drained her glass, nearly choking.

“Oh Merlin, are you alright?” Draco asked as Hermione attempted to swallow the liquid in her mouth.  Grabbing a napkin from a passing waiter, she placed it to her mouth, revealing a diamond ring as she opened her hand up.

Shocked, her eyes met Draco’s.

“Um, yeah, you were supposed to notice that, not choke to death on it.”

Hermione opened her mouth then closed it again speechless for a moment, before finally smacking him on the arm. “Couldn’t you just get down on one knee and propose like a normal man?”

“What about me strikes you as normal?” Draco chuckled as he pulled her into his arms.

“Nothing,” Hermione conceded as she frowned.  “You said something about a clue...what are you saying?”

“Im saying, dearest, that I was your Secret Santa,” Draco replied with a smile.

Hermione’s frown deepened.  “So the weird gifts…”

“Were things I picked out for our Wedding, Granger.”

“But who is G.M?” she asked, referring to the napkin rings.

“Granger, Malfoy...are you sure you are the ‘Brightest Witch of Our Age’?” he asked teasingly.

“Shut it,” Hermione whispered, her cheeks colouring.

Draco chuckled in response as he pulled her in for a kiss.

“So will you marry me then, Granger?” he asked, between kisses.

“I suppose so, Malfoy,” Hermione replied, smiling contentedly.

  
  



End file.
